North and South Grow Apart

Way of Life in 1850 Lesson 1: Southerners worked on farms (rural) Northerners worked in factories (urban)

Differences between the North and the South Northern states wanted higher tariffs They wanted people to buy their products made in their factories Southern states wanted lower tariffs They wanted to buy cheaper goods produced in Great Britain

As a result, The way of life in one section of the United States was threatening the way of life in the other section of the United States. This was the beginning of Sectionalism in the United States. Sectionalism - is a loyalty to a section or part of the country rather than the whole country.

Southern states allowed slavery. Other Differences Southern states allowed slavery. Slavery was profitable to the economy of the South. In 1850, about 6 out of every 10 slaves worked in cotton fields. By 1860, enslaved African Americans totaled almost 4 million people. In some states they even out numbered the free whites. Northern workers were free and were paid for their work.

The North and the South had very different views on slavery and the economy. Point of View – is the way a person looks at or thinks about a topic or situation.

Resisting Slavery Lesson 2

Fighting for Freedom Why?? Enslaved people began to resist slavery by risking their lives in daring escapes Why?? They were fighting for their freedom against a cruel system. They had no choices. Families were broken up. Owners had almost complete control over their slaves. They told then when to start work and when to finish. Slaves had to get their owners permission to get married.

Slave Codes Slave codes also made life difficult for slaves. What do you think slave codes are??? Slave Codes – laws to control the behavior of slaves. For example – most slave codes did not allow a slave to hit a white person, even in self- defense. Slaves were not allowed to own property. Few were allowed to buy and sell goods.

Forms of Resistance Some slaves simply refused to work. Some worked more slowly and pretended to be sick. Others broke tools needed to do work. Some slaves broke rules to keep them ignorant and learned to read and write in secret even though they would be punished if they were found out.

Slave Rebellions To try to prevent slave rebellions, owners tried to keep slaves from meeting and gathering with each other. Why?? Nat Turner – August 1831 – formed a rebellion and killed about 60 white people. United States and Virginia troops were called to stop them and killed about 100 slaves. Turner escaped, but was captured and hanged.

Amistad – 1839 – a group of 53 captured Africans seized control of the ship Amistad a Spanish slave ship). After taking control of the ship, they told a Spanish sailor to take them back to Africa. The sailor tricked them and took them to the United States where the US Navy captured them. The US planned to send them back to Spain, but Abolitionists and Northern Newspapers wrote articles against it and eventually the case was presented to the Supreme Court. President John Quincy Adams agreed with the abolitionists and freed the Africans. The survivors sailed home later that year.

Underground Railroad Thousands of enslaved African Americans resisted slavery by trying to escape which led to the formation of the Underground Railroad. Underground Railroad – was an organized, secret system set up to help enslaved people escape from the South to freedom in the North or Canada. Guides were called “conductors” Houses, barns and other places they hid were called “stations”

Free African Americans 1860 4.5 million African Americans lived in the United States. 4.1 million of them lived in the South Only 1 out of every 9 African Americans was free and most lived in cities. Any white person could accuse a free African American of being a slave and without a certificate of freedom, African Americans in the South could be sent back to slavery. Escaped slaves in the North could be kidnapped by slave catchers and returned to slavery in the South.

Harriet Tubman 1820(?) – 1913 American Abolitionist who was born into slavery. She became one of the most successful “conductors” of the Underground Railroad. Returning to the South more than a dozen times over the next 10 years, she is generally credited with leading more than 300 slaves to freedom, including her parents and brother. During the Civil War, she served as a nurse, a Union scout, and a spy.